Member Spotlight Archive

Zelienople, Pennsylvania

A Modern Place with Old Fashioned GracePublished June 2011

The Borough of Zelienople, Pennsylvania is located in Western Butler County and was incorporated into a Borough in 1840, but first settled in 1802. Baron Dettmar Basse, a diplomat during the Napoleonic Wars, came to America and founded the town of Zelienople and named it after his eldest daughter Zelie.

Zelienople is chartered as a Borough under the Commonwealth’s Borough Code. It is slightly over 2 square miles in size, with a population of approximately 4,000. The town itself serves as a transportation hub where several major state routes converge and Interstate 79 is just minutes from the Borough limits, allowing easy access to Pittsburgh and Erie. In addition, the Zelienople Municipal Airport is located just to the west of town.

The Borough of Zelienople offers the quiet lifestyle of a small rural town along with a vibrant commerce center along its Main Street. The Main Street corridor offers various retail and service oriented businesses along with charming dining options. Zelienople is agreeably referred to by its community members as “a modern place with old fashioned grace.”

Zelienople is famous for its festivals and annual events. Horse Trading Days is in July and the Fall Festival is in October, which bring visitors and vendors from all over the region. The 4th of July Parade and events through town with a culmination of a fabulous fire works display is second to none. Christmas is a special time when Santa holds visitation hours in his house on Main Street throughout the Christmas season .

Zelie, as it is affectionately called, is a place to visit and often after you come, a place to stay.

The Borough’s Electric Department currently serves over 2,200 meters, maintains its own substation, and is a participant in the Pennsylvania AMP Service Group.